Humpty Dumpty
by Emi-Lynn
Summary: While restricted to desk duty, Gibbs has his own turn at the terror of watching a loved one in mortal danger. Story 8 in the AALCSLT series (And a Little Child Shall Lead Them)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -First five chapters are done, so I'm starting to post. Got a gen story that might hit the site soon, too.**

* * *

Humpty Dumpty

"Morning, Boss, welcome back. McPapa's due back today, too, right?"

"DiNozzo." Gibbs gave a stiff nod as he walked into the bullpen. "He's dropping Tiana off at daycare." Gibbs knew he wasn't quite a hundred percent yet, but he was hoping to get back out in the field. First, he had to get past Ducky. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I want the latest on the break-ins when I get back."

"Sure thing, Boss." Tony turned around, but Gibbs was already gone so he looked over at Ziva. "A sledding accident, really?"

"It happens, Tony. I remember my father breaking his foot on one of Talia's toys when she was little."

"Well yeah, but Gibbs?" Tony shook his head and turned his attention toward the elevator when he heard it ding. Sure enough, McGee arrived a moment later, setting a large cup on Gibbs' desk before dropping his backpack under his own desk. "Welcome back, McGee. Tia all settled in?"

"She sure is. They're studying the letter F today."

"F as in?" Tony wasn't sure exactly what they did in pre-school.

"As in feather and flying and according to Tia, fudge, but that might have been a hint for peanut butter fudge." Tim grinned as he continued up the stairs to check in with Vance and sign the necessary paperwork with HR to end his leave.

Tony watched him leave. "Umm, I could go with peanut butter fudge." Once McGee was out of sight, he turned to Ziva. She shook her head.

"Do not look at me. I do not like peanut butter."

Not sure what kind of person didn't like peanut butter, Tony got up to investigate the plastic drink cup McGee had left for Gibbs.

-NCIS-

"Come on, Duck, I'm fine."

To prove his point Ducky tossed an empty specimen tray at Gibbs, noting the wince as he struggled to catch it. "You are most certainly not fine, Jethro. Be grateful that you have desk duty, I could have easily delayed your return for another few days. In fact, the only reason I am allowing even desk duty is because Timothy is returning to duty today and you're better off here where he can keep an eye on you than at home on your own."

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he set the tray down on the table next to him. "I'm not helpless."

"No, nor are you anywhere near ready to return to the field." Ducky filled out some paperwork and handed it to Gibbs. "Desk duty for five days. Take it or leave it, Jethro. I have no qualms about sending you back home for another week."

"The raid is tomorrow, Ducky." Between Tim working from home and the Cybercrimes unit, they'd tracked down what they thought was every piece of the large group stealing weapons from multiple military installations. The attack against the Blue Grass Army Depot would begin at at 0600 local time and a combined DOD, CID and NCIS task force would take down the suspected headquarters of the ringleaders in nearby Virginia.

Ducky didn't back down. "And you will be coordinating from MTAC."

"I suppose you've already talked to Vance about this."

"Several times, as a matter of fact."

"Fine." Frustrated, and annoyed, Gibbs returned upstairs.

-NCIS-

"Tony, what are you doing?" The question was hissed as Ziva expected Gibbs to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

"It's green, Ziva." Tony had taken the lid off the cup and was staring at the contents. "Gibbs is drinking something green."

_Whack_

"Boss, you're back."

Gibbs gave a grunt and grabbed the drink before Tony could spill it. Sitting down, he made a show of snapping the lid back in place and taking a long sip through the straw.

At that angle, Tony noticed something and leaned closer, his nose almost brushing Gibbs' hair when Gibbs turned to stare up at the curious man.

"Umm, Boss? You've got glitter in your hair. You know, that thin spot up on top..."

Biting back a grin, Gibbs remembered their last day at his house.

_You have glitter, Papa? Tia's eyes lit up as Gibbs set the bottle of green sparkles on the table as the two of them helped Tia with her St. Patrick's Day art project for school. Tim grinned as he opened a bottle of glue, taking a break from cooking now that the roast was in the oven._

_"Isn't that what you asked for, Sweetie?"_

_Sitting around the dining room table, Gibbs and McGee spent the better part of the afternoon helping Tiana. Tim lightly sketched out the words she wanted on the pages while Gibbs helped her trace over them with the glue before she sprinkled the glitter over the wet glue. Pre-schoolers might love glitter, but between the shaking and the pouring and the laughter, there was a fair amount scattered around Gibbs' house by the time they were done. Raking his fingers through his hair at some point hadn't helped, either, but it was the happiest day that had filled his home in many, many years._

"...not that I'm saying you're going bald in the slightest, because you're you and your hair wouldn't dream of ever deserting you and...

Muffling his amusement, Gibbs glared up at DiNozzo, who immediately back-pedaled before retreating back to his own desk. "It's a good look for you, Boss."

Across from them, Ziva looked at Tony as if she thought he was nuts, but he just shrugged, his eyebrows going up as Gibbs deliberately slurped his hulk juice up the straw and smacked his lips.

-NCIS-

All of the day had been spent reviewing plans for the raid. Every blueprint had been studied again and again, every exit route taken into account, but Gibbs still felt like something was wrong. "I don't like it. There's too much area, too many ways this could go wrong."

Vance sighed and rubbed his forehead, they'd been at it for hours. "Are you seeing a problem or is it just that you can't be with them?"

"I don't know." Gibbs was up on his feet and pacing the office. His counterparts with the Army CID and the Department of Defense had left hours ago, but he still wasn't satisfied.

"Talk to me, Gibbs. What's that gut of yours trying to tell you?"

"You mean besides the fact that the DoD has practically no experience with a raid like this or that the idiot from the CID wouldn't know how to think on his feet even if he had six of them?"

Vance struggled not to smile. Colonel Jacobs certainly wasn't the most innovative thinker they'd ever worked with. When Gibbs had earlier claimed the man couldn't change his own underwear without prior authorization, Vance hadn't been able to argue.

"Okay, what do you want to change?" Before Gibbs could open his mouth, Vance reminded him of Ducky's restriction. "Besides being there, yourself."

Gibbs' mouth had already been open, but that admonition snapped it shut. "I hate being on the sidelines."

"What a surprise." The droll comment would have earned a headslap if it had come from DiNozzo, but since Vance was the only one else in the room, Gibbs' hand wisely stayed in place even if it did twitch just a bit.

They were going in circles, so Vance closed and started to stack the files on the conference table. "Go home, Gibbs. Get some rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Yeah." Gibbs knew Vance was right. It was not only going to be a long day, but a long night. He had plenty of leftovers in the fridge, but Tim and Tiana were back at their own home tonight so that McGee could drop Tia off easier at Maggie's house hours before the Yard's pre-school even opened.


	2. Chapter 2

"Early, Daddy, still dark."

"I know, baby." Tim kissed her forehead as he gathered her and her blankets into his arms. It was actually easier to carry her the block to Maggie's house than to wake her up enough to get her into the car seat. Jethro walked right at his heels.

Maggie was waiting on her front porch and took the bag from his shoulder. "I know how long these kind of days can last. Don't worry about a thing here. Unless the scuttlebutt is worrisome, I'll take her to pre-school and pick her up for you and then she can stay here as long as you need."

"Thanks, Maggie." Tim understood what she wasn't saying. If rumors of the raid going bad hit the Yard, she'd keep Tiana away from there so she wouldn't be scared, then do whatever was necessary to deal with it until he or Gibbs could. It was the unspoken reason why Maggie took care of so many children of agents. He followed her into the house and laid Tiana on one of the daybeds in the front bedroom while Jethro curled up on the floor next to the foot of the bed. Tim stroked Tia's forehead and kissed the top of her head, breathing deeply to ingrain the moment deeply into his memory before standing up. "I'll call when it's over."

Maggie nodded and squeezed his hand. We're okay. We're safe. No one important died. The three unasked questions answered with those simple words – it's over. "I'll be waiting."

Forcing his mind to the task ahead, McGee jogged back to his car and left for the Yard, his headlights illuminating the mostly deserted road.

-NCIS-

_Are we sure they're potty-trained, Boss?_

Gibbs gave a snort at DiNozzo's question, but he had a valid point. The Army soldiers backing up the CID in Kentucky didn't even look old enough to shave. He turned away from the screen to focus on the team ready to move in on the building. "Don't worry about them, concentrate on your own part." You guys ready to move in?"

Twenty miles away, outside a group of warehouses and office buildings west of Fairfax, Tony nodded to McGee and Ziva before turning his attention to the FBI agents and CID soldiers with them. "Okay guys, just like we went over. The power will get cut and that's our signal. We're going to take one floor at a time, make sure we don't miss anyone or anything. Wagner, you and the Sergeant will take your team and maintain the perimeter while the rest of us sweep the buildings. Okay, let's go."

-NCIS-

In MTAC, Gibbs paced as he watched the screen. The three members of his team and one of the Army soldiers each wore a camera on their helmet. Two were standard, while two were night vision cameras to see better in the dim emergency light in the interior rooms. Combined, the four incoming images gave him a range of views of what was happening. He barked out orders when something caught his eye, but for the most part it was going smoothly, until they reached the eighth floor, where auxiliary power was coming from somewhere. Tony and a small team veered off to track down the source of the power while the rest of them continued on.

-NCIS-

"Freeze, hands up where we can see them."

The short, nervous man looked up then back down at the shredding machine before looking at the papers in his hands.

"Don't even think about it." Tim edged closer, weapon directly aimed at the suspect's face as Ziva reached down to unplug the shredder. Once she had done that, she grabbed the suspect's arms and pulled them back, snapping the cuffs on him before leading him out to where the rest of the suspects were being held. Two DoD agents and the soldiers continued to clear the room. Once they had circled the room they moved on, ignoring the fact that Tim had lagged behind and was still securing the computers, trying to stop the data dump that was destroying their evidence as well as tracking any contact made by the one still operating computer. Tim continued to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard, unaware that he was alone with no back-up.

-NCIS-

Gibbs had lost track of how many times he'd wiped his sweaty palms across his pant legs, but his gut was screaming at him to halt the mission. He watched carefully as the team started to sweep the eighth floor. The layout was different up here with more individual offices and less open area. They'd have to split up, using two teams, as sweeping in opposite directions was the only way to handle it. Gibbs found his hand touching the key for his mike before his movement even registered. "Don't move out until the clean up teams have all the stairwells secured."

Even if Ziva hadn't been looking at him, Gibbs knew Tony was rolling his eyes. _Just like the last seven floors, Boss._

If it had been said face to face, that would have earned DiNozzo a head slap. The distance and the fact that he put Ziva and Tim on the same team earned him a pass – for the moment.

A call finally came through that the stairwells were secure. Each time it was taking longer as the support team had further to move the suspects down to the prisoner transports. Tony and his team moved out to search the northern side of the floor while Tim and Ziva led the remaining team to the southern side. From what they'd been able to determine from the building schematics, the electrical draw had been much heavier up here so Tim and Vance had decided the computers were most likely on that side of the executive floor. That was Tim's target while Tony was tasked with rounding up the masterminds that were probably using the large offices on the north side. Of course, the discovery of power on that floor had rewritten the game plan.

For the first time since the raid had started, they were following two different actions in MTAC. The lower floors had been open enough that no matter how spread out they were the cameras were picking up regular glimpses of the rest of his team. Now, the only time he saw any of his three team members was when either they or Agent Sanchez from the FBI were actually looking at each other. It was disconcerting and did nothing to settle Gibbs' gut.

-NCIS-

"Clear."

"Clear."

"Clear."

Back from delivering her prisoner, Ziva nodded at Sanchez as they spread out. McGee was bent down, examining one of the computers on the far side. Of the five workstations, that one was the only one where a screen saver wasn't scrolling across the monitor. They'd expected to find more than just the one suspect on this floor and she stayed sharp as she carefully moved around, looking for any hiding places they could have missed. She was almost to the main corridor when she heard a noise and turned in time to see an access panel swing free from the ceiling. "McGee! Behind you."

-NCIS-

All of the computers had data dumps in progress, but this one was the one in control. Tim sat down and quickly started working. It would take too long to stop the dump, so he instead worked to shunt the data to the secure server he'd set up at the Yard. He'd just managed the reroute when Ziva yelled at him.

"McGee! Behind you."

Tim turned just in time to see a pair of feet flying toward him as a muscular man dressed in black swung down out of the ceiling. There wasn't even time to stand or move before the heavy boots hit him squarely in the chest and knocked him and the rolling chair toward the wall of windows. Tim tried to twist enough to pull his weapon, but there wasn't time before the suspect was on him again. He was vaguely aware of Ziva trying to get a bead on the suspect, but they were too tangled for her to get a clear shot. For his part, he was just trying to stay on his feet and keep the suspect from gaining control of his gun. A punch to the side of his head knocked his mic off and left him reeling. He managed to shove him back once, but the guy charged again, slamming into him even harder this time.

-NCIS-

"McGee!" Ziva sighted down the barrel of her SIG as she rushed closer, but she was on the wrong side of the cubicles. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sanchez also coming to help, but he was even further away. McGee and his attacker were up against the tall windows and for a split second McGee gained some space before he was slammed into again. There was the sound of breaking glass, and then – "McGee, no!"


	3. Chapter 3

"God, no." Gibbs stared in horror at the screen in MTAC as everything went to hell. "Ziva, take him out."

_I can't get a clear shot._

From the feed of Ziva's camera, Gibbs could see McGee struggling with the suspect, who had at least five inches and probably close to eighty pounds on him. From Tim's feed, he had an up-close look at the crazed face, then blue sky before the image was replaced with static. Looking back at Ziva's feed, the gaping hole in the plate window made his blood run cold.

"No." He felt a hand on his shoulder, but Gibbs' focus was on the screen. "Ziva, talk to me." He watched the window grow larger as she rushed closer, then her hand covered her camera. "Ziva? Damn it, Ziva!"

-NCIS-

Gibbs and Tony were both shouting in her ear, while Sanchez was yelling from across the room, but all Ziva heard was the horrifying scream as both McGee and the suspect went out the window, then the thud and sudden silence. Instinct took over and she wrapped her fingers over the camera before she reached the broken window. Expecting to see McGee's shattered form on the ground eight floors down, she gasped in relief when she saw his still body on the roof of the next building. His fall had been shorter, but still far enough to be life threatening. He was face down and she frantically searched for any sign of life.

McGee wasn't moving, but the suspect was. She watched as he tried to stand, then collapsed back onto his knees to crawl. Instead of trying to make his escape, however, he was moving toward McGee. Her hand dropped from the camera as she pulled up her gun. "Freeze."

His head jerked a little, so she knew he'd heard her, but his focus was still on McGee and he continued his slow crawl toward the hopefully unconscious man. "Stop, or I will shoot." When that didn't work, she fired twice, but heard four shots. Looking out the broken window and to the left, she saw a familiar arm and SIG sticking out an open window. Between them, a third of the way closer to Tony, was a fire escape. "Tony?"

He stuck his head out the window, made eye contact with her for a split second, then obviously registered the presence of the fire escape. "Hang on, McGee, I'm coming."

With Sanchez watching her back, Ziva kept her weapon trained on the downed suspect until it could be confirmed he was dead.

-NCIS-

Tony and his team had been at the furthest corner of the building when over his earwig he'd heard the shouts and the sounds of fists on flesh. It had only lasted a few seconds before he heard glass breaking and the terrifying scream that cut off suddenly. "Shit, shit, shit, don't you be dead, Probie."

He'd been running back toward where the other team was, but now he detoured toward the nearest bank of windows. One of them was open a few inches and he grabbed the bottom of the frame, yanking it up. It only went up a little more, but it was enough and when he heard Ziva yell freeze, Tony dropped to his knees to stick his head out. A building, he'd forgotten about that. Abandoned and neglected, with missing doors and windows, they'd verified that there was no access from the target building, then virtually ignored it. The fall had still been significant, but he hoped survivable. The suspect was, in fact, alive and moving closer to McGee. From the broken window, Ziva yelled at him again to stop. He could tell by the man's expression that he had no intention of stopping and Tony didn't hesitate.

There was something about the moment after a shooting. That split second when the smell of burnt gunpowder hits the nose and the vibration of the weapon can still be felt in the hands, when usually the rush of 'I'm still alive' almost overwhelms everything else. Today, another fear wiped that away. McGee was still, so very still, but Ziva yelling his name had his head turning toward her automatically. He barely recognized her presence before he saw what was between them. Drawing back, he yelled as he started figuring out which of the tiny offices housed the window he needed.

"Hang on, McGee, I'm coming."

-NCIS-

The feeds from the other camera were disjointed as they ran through the building, but Gibbs was locked on the one camera that showed nothing, waiting for Ziva to move her hand. When she did, it was to open fire on the suspect as he moved toward a still figure. It was only when the suspect was down that she moved enough for Gibbs to get a good look at McGee.

He was laying very still and face down. It looked like he'd probably hit the building's ventilation pipes before landing on the roof. They might have helped break his fall, but chances were, they'd broken much more than that. Ziva glanced away for a moment, looking to Tony, but then she turned back to watch McGee and the downed suspect.

"Ziva, talk to me."

_I do not know, Gibbs. I cannot tell if he is alive or not. Tony is climbing down now._

From Tony's feed, Gibbs had a close up view of the brick while he climbed, but he heard Tony muttering at Tim, repeatedly. _Don't be dead, don't be dead._ It was close to his own, private mantra at the moment. Finally, Tony reached the lower roof and turned toward McGee.

_Suspect first, Tony._

Gibbs knew that Ziva was right, but the delay tore through him.

Four bullets had all hit their mark, one in the face, the rest through the torso. Gibbs could see that quite clearly on Tony's feed. The slightly surprised expression and the wide open eyes told the story even before Tony confirmed it. _He's dead, Boss._

Gibbs didn't have to remind him, Tony was already on the move and seconds later, a close-up view of McGee's still form was on the monitor. There was blood on his face and the camera picked up Tony's hand moving to his neck to check his pulse.

"Tony?" There was no answer and he saw Tony hand shift a little. "Damn it, Tony, talk to me."

-NCIS-

The poorly maintained fire escape was slippery and some of the rungs twisted in his hands so Tony found himself tempering his need to get to McGee with the need to not make the situation worse by falling and delaying his rescue. "Don't be dead, don't be dead."

He finally was on the roof, only to get a reminder from Ziva. _Suspect first, Tony._

"Who's the senior agent, Ziva?" Even as he snapped at her, he had to shift his direction a little, not that he'd ever admit it. Four shots, one of them hitting just under the eye made checking almost moot, but he did. "He's dead, Boss."

Regulations met, he turned to Tim. Scared to move him, he gingerly laid his fingers against Tim's neck. He didn't feel anything at first, trying to block out Gibbs' worried voice. Finally he pressed harder and found a pulse. It wasn't banging against his fingers, but it was there. "McGee's alive. Get us a medic up here now."

_Thank God._

Vance's voice came over the mic as he took over for Gibbs as the rest of the teams continued the hunt, but Tony focused on his partner. He didn't move back until several military medics showed up.

"Any sign of consciousness?"

"No, not yet. That's bad, isn't it?" Tony clamped his mouth shut, knowing that Gibbs was hearing everything. The medic had no idea that anyone one else was listening in. They'd all had their mics open during the raid so their watchers could hear what was going on, but now Tony wished he'd thought to shut his off earlier. As soon as he flipped it off, he heard Gibbs in his ear. _Leave it on, DiNozzo._

The thought of defying the order crossed his mind even as he turned it back on. "He's going to be okay, Boss, McGee's got too much to live for." They both fell silent as the medics worked to assess McGee, bracing his neck and strapping him to a back board.

As they got ready to transport, Tony looked up at the window where Ziva was watching. She gave him a nod, agreeing to take over the crime scene until he got back, and Tony silently followed the medics. He'd take his own transportation, but somebody needed to be at the hospital until Gibbs could get there.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive to Bethesda seemed to take forever. It might have been because Ducky was driving instead of him, but more likely it was because he didn't know what was happening to Tim. Luckily, Ducky had the presence of mind to drop him off at the emergency entrance instead of taking him along on the hunt for a parking space.

Gibbs rushed inside and looked around, finally finding Tony sitting in the corner nursing a full cup of coffee. "Tony, how is he? Is there any word?"

"Not yet. They took him straight back for x-rays and a CAT scan. The doctor promised that he'd get the results rushed." Tony had jumped to his feet when he saw Gibbs and now handed over the coffee. "Here, this is for you. It's not great coffee, but it's all they have here."

Having found parking, Ducky arrived, slightly out of breath, and with a nod to Gibbs used his credentials to go directly back into the emergency department.

Tony tried to be optimistic. "Ducky will get us answers."

"He was still unconscious, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, but..." Tony's voice trailed off, then he shook his head. "He's going to be fine. He has to be."

-NCIS-

"No skull fracture, that's good."

"Agreed." Adjusting his glasses, Ducky leaned closer to the image. "However, with a childhood bout of vestibular neuritis, we may be dealing with the same symptoms for a while."

The emergency room physician nodded in agreement. "There was some permanent damage?"

"Yes, but minor. It only affects him aboard ship."

"I've seen it before. We'll have one of our neurologists review his records, determine how concerned we should be."

Ducky paused. This was necessary medical information between two doctors about a patient they were caring for, but still... "There are no medical records from the original illness. However, a neurologist in Boston diagnosed him from the resulting damage while he was in college. I'll make sure the information is added to his records here."

"Good. I'll deal with the shoulder and the other injuries if you want to let the family know how he's doing."

"Thank you. That would be best, I know they're quite worried." In his mind he substituted 'frightened' but he'd never actually say that out loud.

-NCIS-

Gibbs had only managed to sit for a few minutes before he was up and pacing. Tony didn't argue with him, but the sympathetic look on his face was almost as bad. The coffee was terrible, as promised, but Gibbs managed to choke down half of it before Ducky arrived back in the waiting room.

"Ducky, how is he?"

"Incredibly lucky, Jethro." Gibbs sagged in relief at his words and Ducky took his arm and led him to the nearest bank of chairs, where DiNozzo joined them. Once they were all sitting, Ducky launched into his explanation.

"There is no skull or spine fractures, which was our greatest concern with that great of a fall. However, he has a rather severe concussion, which is not much of a surprise. We won't start to worry too much unless he fails to regain consciousness in the next few hours. He also has several fractured ribs and even more that are deeply bruised. There's a hairline fracture of his upper right arm in addition to that shoulder being dislocated. His right wrist is broken while the left is sprained at the least, in addition to several fingers on each hand that are either sprained, fractured or dislocated. Currently, there is some internal bleeding, but we suspect it will stop on its own without surgery."

"You call that lucky?"

"Yes, Tony, I do. It could have been much, much worse. It will be a very painful recovery, but he should make a complete recovery in time." Ducky tried to not make too much eye contact with Gibbs, knowing the other man would pick up on the fact that he was holding something back.

"This isn't the first time he's dislocated that shoulder, Duck. That going to cause a problem?"

"We won't know for sure for a few weeks, Jethro. It is possible that at some point Timothy may need surgery to tighten up the damaged tendons and ligaments. It's also possible that it will fully stabilize on its own."

Gibbs nodded, then turned to DiNozzo. "The case is still active."

Obviously knowing a dismissal when he heard it, Tony climbed to his feet. "Yeah, you'll let me know when he comes to, or when – well, you know."

"Yeah. Thanks, Tony."

Tony patted him on the shoulder and then gave Ducky a careful look before walking away.

Gibbs watched him go around the corner before turning back to Ducky. "Okay, what aren't you telling me?"

It was all Ducky could do not to laugh. They knew each other far too well. Luckily, Tim had updated his medical forms when Tiana had come into his life and Gibbs had full access. "Has Timothy ever spoken to you in depth about his problems with seasickness?" He watched as Gibbs searched his memories.

"Just enough that I always suspected there was a physical reason more than just run of the mill seasick. Why?"

"I will leave the details of how it happened to Timothy, but yes, you are correct. An illness and a head injury at the same time when Timothy was a child caused some permanent damage to his inner ear. Luckily his hearing wasn't affected, but there was subtle damage to his balance."

"Enough that his body can't compensate well enough when the ship is constantly shifting?"

"Yes, exactly, and because the concussion is centered on the same side of his head, I suspect that it may exacerbate his symptoms, at least for a while."

Gibbs gave him a careful look and Ducky knew there were more questions coming. "Illness **and** injury? Was it his father?"

This was getting beyond medical, unfortunately. "No, it was not, but anything else, I'm afraid..."

"You can't tell me."

"It is not my story to tell, Jethro. It is Timothy's and he will tell you when he's ready." One sniff of the cup had told even Ducky that the coffee here was barely palatable. "Now, why don't you go out to the coffee cart in the courtyard and get yourself a decent cup. By the time you're back, I should know when Timothy will be able to have visitors."

-NCIS-

Ducky was right, the coffee from the cart outside was better, but Gibbs was still restless. He knew he really wouldn't be able to relax even a little until he could see Tim for himself. Finally, Ducky came out the door again. "Duck?"

"They're keeping him in the ER for a while longer so they can monitor him, but you can come sit with him if you'd like."

Gibbs didn't have to be asked twice and after quickly gulping down the last of his coffee and tossing the cup, he followed Ducky through the double doors as Ducky continued to talk. "Normally they would place Timothy in the ICU, at least until he'd regained consciousness, but visitors are strictly limited up there so we managed to stall that for a few hours."

"Thanks, Ducky. I owe you one."

"Actually, you owe me several, but take good care of our lad and I'll call it even."

At the door, one of the nurses smiled at them. "He's becoming more responsive. I wouldn't be surprised if he wakes up in the next little while."

That was good news, but slipping through the door and seeing Tim for himself was even better. He looked bad, Ducky had warned him about that, but he was warm and alive and breathing on his own and for now that was enough. There was a stool near the head of the bed and Gibbs sat down, brushing his hand down Tim's face, not quite touching the skin. Even at that he could feel the heat of the bruises and leaned close to kiss his temple.

"You scared the hell out of me, Tim. Now I need you to wake up and tell me that you're going to be okay pretty soon. I know you need to rest for now."

Nurses came in and out and Ducky stood by his shoulder, but Gibbs didn't pay any attention to that, not until he sensed a slight movement from McGee. "Ducky, he's waking up."

Ducky leaned closer, but let Gibbs do the encouraging as the nurse called for his doctor. "That's it, Tim, come back to us. Time to wake up."

It took a few minutes, but eventually the green eye slowly opened. "J'ro?"

"Hey, welcome back. How you feeling?"

The eyes closed again with a wince. "Hurts, dizzy."

Gibbs gave a worried glance to Ducky but kept his voice calm and quiet. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. You had a pretty bad fall."

The arrival of the doctor meant that Gibbs had to step back, but he stayed close enough to listen as Tim answered questions proving that he was cognate of time and place, which was a relief. Another round of tests was ordered, then they were left alone again.

"How b'd?"

Tim was obviously tiring and Ducky kept it brief. "You were very lucky. There was some minor internal bleeding, but it has almost stopped. Other than that, the worst is a concussion that may cause you some vertigo for a few weeks, a few fractures and a dislocated shoulder."

Blinking, Tim looked down at himself and saw which shoulder was strapped tight. "Ah, hell, again?"

"Yes, well, we'll see about getting you a punch card. I believe every fifth dislocation will qualify you for an upgrade."

Tim was already asleep, but Gibbs wasn't amused. "Not funny, Duck."

"He will be fine, Jethro." After a stern look, Ducky moved toward the door. "Now, I believe we have some people that are waiting to hear about Timothy so I will make the calls while you stay here."

* * *

**A/N - With the job I used to have, I've heard dozens of horror stories about falling off of roofs. It's amazing how different the outcomes can be, thanks all, see you on Monday.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - Just finishing up chapter 7 now, so we should have at least three chapters this week but I'm hoping for more. FYI - I'm actually writing the next one in the series at the same time as the details are intertwined very closely, so when we finish with this, we'll go straight to the next one (I've got about 10,000 words done on that already.)**

**So on to this chapter. Is that a monkey I see? And what is he doing with that wrench?**

* * *

It felt wrong to see the CID guys securing the computers, but they really didn't have any choice. Either way, they'd be going to the NCIS's cyber-team, but it still felt wrong to let someone other than McGee have the honor. The Army guys seemed to understand that at least and they were quiet as they worked, quiet enough that they all heard Tony's phone when it vibrated.

Heart in his throat, he answered it as Ziva stared at him. "Ducky, is there any word?"

_Timothy awakened briefly. With time, he will make a full recovery._

Tony felt his legs sag. "Oh, thank God. He's really going to be all right?"

_Yes. He'll be hospitalized for a few days while they monitor his condition, especially the internal injuries, but I'm not expecting any serious complications as long as he doesn't push himself. _

"And the Boss won't let that happen."

_I believe you are correct in that, Anthony. We will know more after the internal bleeding has completely stopped._

"We're going to be here for a few more hours at least. Tell him that we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"

_I will, and now I must give the Director an update._

"Tia's with Maggie, right?"

_I believe so. She was going to keep Tiana with her until she heard from Timothy. If Director Vance has not called her, then either Jethro or myself will make the call._

"What about Abby?" For a moment Ducky sounded distracted, then he answered.

_I'm handling that right now. We will see you and Ziva in a few hours._

Tony listened as Ducky disconnected at his end, then he pocketed his phone and looked over at Ziva, who was watching him anxiously.

"Ducky seems to think he'll be all right. Apparently, he's bleeding internally, but everything is supposedly under control."

"Well, Ducky should know, yes?"

"Yeah." Tony scrubbed his fingers through his hair as he tried to not let his frustrations and worry get the best of him. "Come on, let's get this done so we can go see him."

"Agreed."

-NCIS-

Ducky was dividing his attention between the phone call and the figure that was coming through the waiting room at top speed.

_What about Abby? _

"I'm handling that right now. We will see you and Ziva in a few hours." Ducky quickly closed his phone and braced himself just in time as Abby flew into him.

"Oh, Ducky, is McGee all right? He can't be really hurt, can her? I mean, Tiana just lost her mom and now this. It can't be happening, it can't."

"He's going to be fine." Ducky twisted enough to awkwardly pat her on the back. "Timothy is conscious and stable. It will take a few weeks, but his injuries will heal up."

Blinking back tears, Abby finally pulled back enough to look at him. "Really? He'll totally heal up? You're not just saying that?"

"Yes, he will fully recover. As it stands right now, his internal injuries don't require surgical repair and as long as he is quiet and still over the next few days, they should fully heal on their own. He will probably have some dizziness, possibly for a few weeks, but that should resolve also."

"No surgery?"

She was calming and looked hopeful, but Ducky wanted to make sure she was gentle with her injured friend. "As long as he is careful and doesn't get bumped around, I do not believe that surgery will be necessary for the internal injuries. He has dislocated his right shoulder again, so we will have to wait and see how the rehab goes. It's possible there might need to be a surgical repair done at a later date."

"Can I see him?"

"Not at the moment. Jethro is with him and he hasn't been moved to a room yet. Why don't you wash your face and touch up your make-up while I update the Director. Hopefully by the time I have finished with my calls, Timothy will be settled into a room and we can go see him."

Abby touched her face, mascara staining her fingertips as she wiped them under her eyes. She nodded to Ducky and scurried away, toward the ladies' room. Once she was out of the waiting room, Ducky pulled his phone out once again.

Ducky rarely called Vance's private number, preferring to follow protocol and go through his secretary, but this wasn't a regular call. Finding the number for Vance's cell, he dialed it and it was answered almost immediately.

_Dr. Mallard, how is Agent McGee?_

"He is very lucky, Director. A concussion, some broken bones, sprains, a dislocation and some internal bleeding."

_You call that lucky?_

The question of the day. "Considering the circumstances, yes, I do. It will take some time and some possible surgery on his shoulder, but Timothy will recover enough to return to the field."

_That's good to hear. I assume Gibbs is now with him?_

Ducky paused, that was an odd way for Vance to ask, but he was sure he was reading too much into it. "Yes, Jethro is here at the hospital."

_Think this will get him moving?_

Or perhaps he wasn't reading too much into it at all. "Well..."

_It's all right, Dr. Mallard. I don't expect you to tell me anything on that front. I'll tell the SecNav that McGee will be all right, but he isn't up to visitors yet._

"That would be for the best, Director. Timothy needs to rest and stay quiet to avoid aggravating his injuries, especially for the next forty-eight hours."

_Understood. I'll let Maggie know what's going on. Depending on how many other kids she'll have this afternoon, Jackie might bring Tiana to our place so she doesn't hear too much._

"That might be for the best. We don't want her to be frightened." Ducky thought for a moment. "It might be best to wait and not tell Tia anything until Timothy is settled in a room that will allow for visitors."

_All right._ Vance fell silent for a moment, probably thinking through how best to handle it. Under the circumstances, Ducky was more than willing to defer to the father of two. _I'll have Jackie set up a girl's night at the house again. Call my cell as soon as you know any more._

"Of course, Director Vance, and thank you."

-NCIS-

Jackie Vance was just getting ready to go to the store when her phone rang. Smiling, she glanced down at the display. Leon had an incredible knack for knowing when to call to ask for a pie or some other treat. Still smiling, she answered the call. "Yes, Leon, I'm picking up apples for an apple pie tonight."

_That's great, but that's not why I'm calling._

There was something in his voice and she remembered there was a big bust going down today – one that Tim had been a large part of planning out. Feeling a chill, she dropped down into a chair as her purse slipped through her fingers. "Leon? How bad?"

_McGee was injured. It's bad, but it could have been a lot worse._

"Tiana isn't at the Yard's pre-school, is she? The scuttlebutt..."

_No. My understanding is that she is with Maggie, but..._

Jackie instantly knew his concern. After an incident, other agents would be working late. Other agents that would need to drop their children off with Maggie after the day care options at the Yard closed for the day. Children who would have heard that mom or dad was working late because someone was injured. "Why don't I bring Tiana over here? She can help us with the baking for the school bake sale."

_Thank you, Sweetheart. I'll let Maggie know what's going on and that you'll be there soon._

He'd said so, but she needed confirmation. "Tim's really going to be all right?"

_Yes. As I understand, it won't be quick, but he should eventually make a full recovery. After I brief Clayton, I'll be going to the hospital myself so I should know more then._

"Okay, keep me posted. I love you."

_Love you, too._

-NCIS-

"Love you, too." Leon held onto the phone, listening until she'd hung up. It was something they'd started back in the beginning of their relationship. Once he heard the dial tone, he found the number for Maggie. It rang twice before she answered.

_Hello?_

He knew that the caller ID would have told her who was calling and judging from the overly perky tone to her voice, one or more children were in earshot, most likely Tiana.

"Hey, Maggie." He kept his voice low enough that no one other than her could hear him. "He's injured, but he's going to be okay."

_How wonderful._

His trained ear picked up the catch to her voice, but no child would have noticed. "It's going to be a long night here so you might be getting some extra kids this afternoon."

_Oh dear. They might be quite chatty._

"I know. That's why Jackie will be coming by to pick her up pretty soon." He heard footsteps over the phone and waited, assuming that Maggie was moving somewhere private. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the 'happy' voice was replaced by a more worried one.

_That's probably for the best, Leon, but Jethro is here, too._

"I thought he was still at the hosp – oh, you mean the dog."

_Yes, Tiana might think its strange that she's leaving but the dog isn't._

Damn it, he'd just had the car detailed. "I'll let Jackie know."

_It's probably for the best. No matter the reason she's given, she'd probably object to leaving him behind. They're quite bonded. Umm, what are we telling her? I used the excuse of baking cookies together to keep her home from pre-school today._

"Pretty much the same reason. Jackie's baking for a school fundraiser."

_All right, we'll be expecting her._

As soon as that phone call ended he called Jackie back. "Hey, hon, slight change of plans. The dog is with Tia."

_You mean I need to pick him up, too?_

Jackie sounded more resigned that thrilled. They'd never had a family dog. "Well, Maggie and I couldn't come up with an excuse to leave him behind."

_I suppose not. He's trained, right?_

"My understanding is that he's very well trained. He's a retired drug detection dog." Vance thought for a moment. "Pick him up, then if it's too much to have him there, I can have Miss Sciuto come get him."

All right. I'm sure we'll be fine, but two of Jared's classmates are coming home with him to work on their school project.

"If there's a problem, lock him in the laundry room and call me. I'll have her or Mr. Palmer come over and pick him up unless I'm there first."

-NCIS-

Maggie took a few deep breaths before walking back into the kitchen. The baking was done and Tiana was sitting at the table enjoying her warm cookies and cold milk. "Did you have fun baking, sweetheart?"

She nodded vigorously. "I love to help bake."

"Well, good." Maggie plastered on a smile. "Aunt Jackie has a whole bunch of baking she has to get done and she wondered if you would come help her?"

Another nod and the last cookie was shoved into Tia's mouth. This time Maggie's smile was a bit more natural. "Slow down, you've got time to finish. I promise."

"Okey-dokey."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Remember, that in the last few chapters and the ones coming up, we're seeing some events from multiple POV's so there's some overlap as we move from one character's scene to another. Enjoy.**

* * *

Jackie plastered on a smile before she walked through the door. "Hi, sweetie, I hear you volunteered to help me with my baking."

"I love baking. Jethro does, too."

"Oh, he does?" Jackie looked down at the very large dog laying under the table.

"Just remember, no chocolate for Jethro. Doggies can't eat chocolate, it makes them very sick."

Jackie was pretty sure that Maggie's words were for her rather than Tiana. "Well, we're going to be making apple pies and peanut butter cookies. How does that sound?"

Tiana clapped and Maggie gave a knowing smile. "You won't have to worry about what to do with the apple cores, Jethro loves them."

"And peanut butter, too. Daddy and I make him peanut butter doggie treats every other weekend."

"Woof." Slowly stretching, the topic of discussion emerged from under the table. Maggie's dog rolled over and spread out over the warm spot that had just been vacated. Still looking sleepy, Jethro placed himself next to Tiana and softly barked again.

"Yes, Jethro, you're coming with us. Try not to shed too much in the car, okay?"

"Woof."

Tim had bought a second car seat to leave at Maggie's so that was quickly secured in Jackie's back seat. Jethro nuzzled past Jackie and seemed to inspect the seat which amused her to no end.

"Did we do it to your satisfaction?"

"Woof."

"I'm glad we have your approval." Tiana was buckled in and Jethro hopped in to sit next to her. He behaved perfectly in the car and Jackie started to relax. Once they arrived at the house, she put the leash on him but it didn't seem to be needed as he shadowed Tiana into the house and then laid down under the kitchen table.

Everything went easy until Jared arrived home with two of his classmates. Backpacks were dropped just inside the kitchen as they came in for a snack and before Jackie realized it, Jethro was out from under the table and growling at one of the backpacks.

"Jethro, stop it."

Instead of disengaging, Jethro dropped down onto the floor and started barking and pawing at the pile of backpacks. It wasn't until he had one of them separate from the rest that Jackie remembered what Leon had told her about the dog.

"Andrew, is there a reason this retired drug detection dog wants to tear your backpack apart?" He stuttered out a half-baked excuse about borrowing a friend's backpack, but she wasn't buying it and reached for the phone. "Leon, Tim's drug sniffing dog is absolutely locked onto a backpack that one of Jared's friends arrived with. That's right... Andrew, Andrew Patterson... Yes, that Patterson... We'll be waiting."

-NCIS-

Vance stared at the phone after Jackie had hung up. Unfortunately, putting it off wouldn't make it any easier. First, he asked Pam to come in. "Would you have Balboa and his team ready to leave, and make sure they're ready to perform every possible field drug test we have?"

Her eyes widened, but she just nodded and left. Now, he had no choice. He picked up the phone. "This is Director Vance from NCIS, I need to speak to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations... Yes, I'll hold..." The canned music was terrible, but luckily the wait wasn't too long. "Admiral Patterson, a possible problem has come up in regards to your son... No, he's fine, he's at my home working on a school project with Jared and Senator Stanley's boy. However, we have a retired drug detection dog at the house this afternoon and he's latched onto Andrew's backpack... Yes, of course you can be there when it's opened. That's why I'm calling."

-NCIS-

Tim's breathing seemed to deepen and he shifted slightly. Gibbs leaned close, watching for any sign he was waking up and even Ducky set the chart down. Finally his eyes fluttered open. "Hey, you awake?"

"Think so. Weird dreams." Tim blinked hard before looking around. "Tia's at Maggie's, right?"

"For now." Ducky was the one to talk to Director Vance, so he filled them in. "She may have other children there this afternoon and evening whose parents are working the clean up from the raid. If there's any chance of Tiana overhearing something she shouldn't, then Jackie will take her to their home and keep her there until one of you can get her."

"Good. Don't want her to know about this."

Gibbs smiled down at the bruised and scraped face. "At least for now. You won't be able to hide this forever."

"When she can see me home and alive. Not before." His eyes drifted closed for a moment, then popped back open. "Was anyone else hurt?"

"No, everyone else is fine, Tim." Gibbs leaned close and brushed his hair back. "We're all okay, we stopped the bad guys and found most of the stolen weapons."

"Most?" Trust Tim to catch that one and Gibbs had to press down on his uninjured shoulder to keep him in place.

"The files you were able to stop from being dumped gave us the buyers, so they're picking them up now."

Tim's eyes were closed, but he was frowning. "You should be supervising that."

"Restricted duty, remember?" Gibbs gave a grateful look to Ducky. "Desk duty for a week." Returning his attention back to Tim, the frown and closed eyes worried him a little. "You doing okay? Want me to get your doctor?"

"Just dizzy. Feel like I'm going to fall off the bed."

Gibbs wrapped his hands around the least injured parts of Tim's arms. "I've got you. I won't let you fall." He glanced at Ducky, who moved closer.

Ducky bent close with a penlight. "Timothy, I'm just going to check your pupils real quick." Gibbs watched as he did just that, pulling each eyelid up and flicking the light across his eye. As far as Gibbs could tell, his pupils were reacting normally to the light, if just a tad slow. Ducky smiled and nodded at him in confirmation. "Timothy, your neurologist and I both feel that your concussion might cause a flare-up of the vestibular neuritis. If you can remember the length of your original symptoms, it might give up a better idea of what we're facing."

The frown increased and Tim licked his lips. Gibbs didn't want him pushed, no matter how much he needed to know what had happened. "Only if you're up to it, Tim."

"It's okay, just kind of a blur. I was sick at least a couple of days before I got hurt. Maybe a week? After that, I just remember being both dizzy and sick."

Gibbs tried to think of ways to establish a timetable. "Did you miss any school?"

"Summertime, it started right after the 4th of July – I remember that."

Ducky gave Gibbs a careful look before he asked his own question. "And you're sure you weren't taken to a doctor?"

"She couldn't... My dad had been at sea too long." Before they could ask any more, he was asleep.

They watched for a moment, but he was down for the count. "Ducky, that doesn't even make sense."

Ducky just gave him another careful look before stepping out, leaving Gibbs to figure it out on his own.

-NCIS-

Three cars arrived at the Vance home. Parked in the driveway was Vance's SUV, with his security detail opening the door for him. Brian tried to make light of the situation. "Is this why they pay you the big bucks, Sir?"

Only Brian Hill and Jethro Gibbs could get away with speaking like that to the Director and the comment had Leon rolling his eyes. "You want to trade me places?"

Brian looked at the vehicle pulling along side the front curb. "Nope, but it could be worse." Vance gave him the eye and Hill cracked a slight smile. "You could be his kid if the tests show he's really got drugs on him."

"Point taken."

-NCIS-

Parked in front of the house was another SUV, this one black in color with the US Navy insignia on the doors. As Vance waited, a very stiff Petty Officer opened the door and saluted as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations stepped out. He paused for a moment as he adjusted his cover, then walked over to acknowledge Vance in private. "Director, I appreciate you allowing me to sit in on this."

"Of course, Admiral. I'm sure that he just brushed up against another backpack at school and there was transfer, but it's better for everyone if this is done by the book."

"Absolutely and hopefully quickly. I have a briefing with the SecNav this afternoon on the Hill."

"He may be coming to the Yard later today. We've had a very busy morning ourselves."

"Yes, I heard about the raid. Very impressive. Sorry to hear that one of your agents was injured."

Vance nodded and waved to the third vehicle. "It was a very successful raid, however I need to caution you not to mention it while you're in my home. Agent McGee's daughter is here. She's only four and she doesn't know that her father was hurt." They walked toward the house; as they passed the black SUV the Admiral's secretary fell into step behind them and the petty officer behind him.

-NCIS-

Across the street an agency sedan pulled in and three agents climbed out, looking like they were on their way to their own execution. "No matter the results, this is going to be bad, isn't it?"

Balboa clapped his youngest agent on the shoulder. "Either we're going to prove that the youngest son of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations is using drugs or we're going to accuse him and be wrong, Jeffery. No easy version there."

"Great."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you guys are the best. Last chapter of the week. I've got a job interview this afternoon, so wish me luck.**

* * *

Vance had to smile at the sight when he walked into his kitchen. Jackie, Kayla, Tiana and Jared, along with his two school friends were all sitting at the table with milk and cookies. Jethro the dog was very obviously guarding one of the backpack, his chin actually resting on it. At the table, one of the boys looked very nervous, even before Admiral Patterson walked in.

Schooling his features, Vance turned to his wife. "Has Jethro been like that the whole time?"

"I'm afraid so. He was laying under the table until the boys came in and dropped their bags on the floor over there. A few seconds later, he ran over and started barking and growling at the packs, pulled that one away from the rest. He's been laying exactly like that ever since." Now that she'd told her husband all she knew, Jackie pointedly looked at the children, then at the door into the family room. Leon gave a subtle nod and then she began moving the rest of the kids out of the kitchen, leaving only Andrew at the table.

Vance watched as she moved them into the family room, a large space behind the kitchen. Originally it had been a screened-in porch when they'd bought the place, but the first cold winter had convinced the California transplants to insulate and finish the space. You had to walk through the kitchen to get there, but it was nice to have an area where the kids could spread out other than the formal living room. The television and gaming console would keep them occupied until they could retrieve their backpacks.

Jeffrey had tried to edge closer and now reached for the backpack, but Jethro just growled again. The inexperienced agent looked over and shook his head. "How do we tell him we're the good guys?"

Realizing he didn't have a clue, Vance pulled out his phone. "Gibbs, if Jethro has alerted to a possible drug stash, how do we call him back? Hill, Balboa, Taylor and Jeffrey are with me but none of us are trained handlers."

-NCIS-

Tim was sleeping comfortably at the moment so when his phone rang, Gibbs quickly answered, hoping to not wake him. "Yeah, Gibbs."

_Gibbs, if Jethro has alerted to a possible drug stash, how do we call him back? Hill, Balboa, Taylor and Jeffrey are with me but none of us are trained handlers._

"What?" Maybe he was more tired than he thought, because it took a moment to wrap his mind around what Vance was asking. "Where is he?"

_At my house._

Gibbs didn't even know what to do with that one. "Really?" He heard a sigh, then Vance launched into a little more detail.

_A group of Jared's friends are here and Jethro has latched onto one of the backpacks. He's laying on the floor with the backpack between his front legs, his head on the backpack and he's growling at anyone that comes near him._

Jethro was well trained, Gibbs knew that, but he'd never seen any of his working commands. He hated to do it, but he really didn't have any choice. "Tim, need you awake for a minute."

"Hmm?" Tim didn't open his eyes, probably because of the dizziness, but his head turned toward Gibbs and Gibbs quickly and softly explained the situation.

"Needs to see a badge."

"What?"

"Yeah." There was some movement of Tim's head but he kept his eyes carefully closed. "Show him the badge, let him sniff it. Then use a firm voice, say 'release' then 'stand down'. Snap your fingers and point to where you want him to sit. Then lots of praise and a treat. When they find the drugs, he gets more praise and more treats."

Smirking, Gibbs relayed the information back to Vance and wished he could be a fly on the wall.

-NCIS-

Vance jabbed at the touchscreen of his phone with a little more force than necessary. Gibbs didn't have to say it, he could hear the amusement in his voice. At least Ziva David wasn't here, she'd probably be taking pictures. Jackie was standing in the doorway and he knew she'd remember every moment.

Pulling out his badge, he walked over to the dog and bent down. Just as he was told, Jethro looked at it, then sniffed it before looking back up at him. Vance stood back up and used his 'director' voice. "Jethro, release."

The dog's head instantly lifted off the backpack and he seemed almost eager for his next command, so Vance gave it, snapping his fingers and pointing to a corner away from the action. "Stand down."

There was even a tail wag as Jethro scurried over to his assigned corner and Vance grinned as he followed him over. "That's a good boy, Jethro. That's a very good boy."

Just to be safe, Balboa kept his movements steady as he lifted the backpack and carried it over to the kitchen island, but Jethro was perfectly happy to ignore it now that the proper command had been given. Gloves on, he unzipped the backpack and removed several notebooks before finding a pencil bag. The moment he had it lifted out of the backpack, Jethro gave a bark from his corner, so Balboa opened it next.

"Gee, I wonder if this is what he noticed?" In full view of the team and the boy's father he pulled out a small plastic zip-lock bag filled with about a half dozen pills. They all watched as Admiral Patterson turned to his son.

"Andrew, you have something you'd like to tell us?"

-NCIS-

Relieved because being wrong about this would have been even worse than being right, Vance bent down to scratch Jethro's head. "Good job, Jethro, good job. Yuck, don't lick my face." Wiping at the dog drool, he straightened up and looked at Tiana, who was peeking out from behind Jackie. "What kind of treat does Jethro like?"

"Peanut butter."

"Peanut butter?" He looked at the now empty plate on the table, figuring the tiny crumbs would not satisfy the large dog. Before he could try to convince Jackie to relinquish some of the cookies he knew she had packed up for the bake sale, Tiana piped up again.

"Yep, when it's time to give him his pills, Daddy puts them in a scoop of peanut butter. He eats it right off the spoon."

"Okay, peanut butter it is." Definitely not looking at Jackie as she herded Tiana back into the family room, Leon reached into the drawer for a spoon and used it to scoop up a wad of peanut butter. "Here you go, boy."

Honestly, he'd been expecting the dog to just gobble it right down, but Jethro took his time, licking the treat neatly until the spoon was spotless as Leon watched in amusement. If they could find a dog this well behaved, he wouldn't mind getting a dog at all.

The Admiral was on the phone with someone, arranging to have his son admitted into a drug treatment program immediately. Vance would have suggested waiting until they knew exactly what the pills were, but it gave the officer something to do that wasn't destructive. It looked like Balboa was done with the field test so he wandered over that direction, dropping the spoon in the sink as he did.

"Well?"

"The outside and the inside of the bag both tested positive for Meth, but the pills are Ritalin."

"Ritalin? That's prescribed for ADHD, right?"

"And it's also abused by kids trying to get an edge."

Vance's eyebrows climbed. Apparently he'd been out of the field longer than he'd thought. "An edge?"

"Grades start to drop, class really hard, take a pill and be able to stay up and focused all night, one more pill for school the next day. Easy at first, but it catches up with them quick. I'm more interested in getting his supplier than destroying an overwhelmed kid."

"Agreed." Vance pulled the Admiral off to the side to speak to him privately. Admiral Patterson was distraught, rubbing at his forehead.

"I can't believe this is happening, Leon. Andrew is a good boy. Do you know what he's on?"

Vance leaned one hip on the countertop, arms crossed over his chest. "The pills are Ritalin. Anyone in your family have a prescription for them?"

"No, never. You know what the Navy feels about ADHD treatments." Patterson rubbed at his face again as he turned to look at his son, slumped over at the table, refusing to look at any of them. "This is my fault. I didn't even know you could get high on Ritalin."

Vance looked over and jerked his head enough to bring Balboa over to join them. "Kids aren't taking it for the high, Doug."

"Director Vance is right, Sir. More and more kids are taking it to get through school, to be able to cram all night and still be focused for a test the next day. Most of the time they don't even realize they're addicted to it until summer break and they fall apart without it. Has Andrew been having any trouble keeping up with his classes?"

That got a slow nod. "First term report card, his math grade dropped down to a B- and his language arts grade went down to a C. I told him that if they weren't back up where they belonged by Spring break, he wouldn't be going to Cancun with his mother and sisters. I guess this really is my fault." Patterson stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "What kind of charges is he facing?"

At least the man wasn't throwing his rank around trying to sweep this under the rug and that made Vance's decision even easier. "We'd rather arrest the dealer than a young kid that got in over his head. If he's honest with us, gives us his dealer, then I can pretty much guarantee probation and a suspended sentence. Especially if he willingly goes into a counseling or rehab program – whatever the doctors think he needs."

"Thank you, Leon."

-NCIS-

While the Admiral quietly discussed the situation with Director Vance, his lieutenant stood a parade rest just far enough away to give him the illusion of privacy. The petty officer that was his driver for the day was much more restless. Not wanting to bother his superior officers nor the agents still testing the contents of the backpack, he ended up near the dog. Now that the job was done, Jethro had returned to a happy, loving dog looking for attention.

"Hey, boy." Petty Officer Wilson held out the back of his hand, waiting to see how the dog would react. Jethro licked his hand, then demanded petting, actually bumping his head against Wilson's palm. "Okay, okay, I get the message."

Dropping down on one knee, he gave Jethro the attention he wanted, scratching his ears and rubbing his belly. He looked up when Vance came back over. "He's a great dog, he's not yours?"

"No, he's just visiting for the day. Jethro belongs to Agent McGee."

"Agent McGee? Is he the guy that fell off that roof today?"

Before Vance could answer, a terrified little voice sounded in back of him. "My daddy fell off a roof?"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N - Another Nano, this time Camp NaNoWriMo, another 30,000 words on my big bang epic. That's up to 95,000 words and I've got a lot more to do on it. I've also got this chapter done, the next one partly done and a gen story wrapping up to post probably starting the first of next week.

* * *

"Aunt Jackie?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Jackie bent down as Tiana whispered in her ear.

"I have to go potty."

Tiana didn't seem to like being away from Jethro, which is what sent her near the kitchen the first time, but she was doing the cross-legged dance that every mother recognized. At least the crisis was over, but she still didn't want the kids wandering around underfoot with so many agents. "All right, but hold my hand while we walk through the kitchen, okay?"

"Okey-dokey, artichokie."

Jackie smiled as she watched Admiral Patterson hug his son and then...

"Agent McGee? Is he the guy that fell off that roof today?"

It was too late, but Jackie dropped to her knees as Tiana burst into tears. "My daddy fell off a roof?"

"Oh, honey, Daddy's going to okay, I promise."

Leon joined her on the floor a moment later. "That's right, sweetheart. Daddy's going to be fine and papa is with him at the hospital, I promise."

"Daddy's at the hospital?" Tiana started to sob even harder and Jackie realized that the little girl's only association with hospitals was her mother's cancer.

"He's going to be all right. The doctors at the hospital are making him all better." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jackie knew they were the wrong ones.

"Why didn't they make Mommy better, too?"

"Oh, Tia, sweetie, sometimes things happen that can't be fixed. But sometimes things can be fixed. I know how much it hurt to lose your mommy, but your daddy is going to be just fine."

She didn't answer, but at least she was listening as she cried quietly against Jackie's shoulder as Jackie carried her to the bathroom. Leon stood and cleared the room, sending the team back to the Yard, the Admiral following behind with his son. That left Senator Stanley's son, but he was playing a video game with Jared and Kayla, so that would keep them busy for now.

-NCIS-

Leon wanted to strangle that petty officer. After all the work all the adults had done to protect Tiana from hearing about her father's injuries before she could see him, to have some unknown person put together some scuttlebutt and blurt it out in front of her had never crossed his mind. Luckily, the Admiral was ripping him a new one so Leon could concentrate on Tiana. A nod to Hill and Balboa got the house cleared out of everyone possible, then he could return to his wife and the sobbing little girl on her lap as they now sat in the great room.

"I want my daddy."

"Soon, baby. Papa will bring him home soon." Leon cupped his hand on the back of her head, remembering when he used to do that for his own children. "Right now Grandpa Ducky is taking very good care of him."

She was still crying, although quieter, and he knew that all they could do was to ride it out. Jethro kept oozing closer and Leon moved to let the dog get right up against Tiana. After exchanging a look with his wife, Leon patted the sofa and let him jump up. That seemed to help and Tia draped across him, rubbing his ear between her fingers. Satisfied that the crisis had been averted for the moment, He kissed Jackie and stood up to talk to the three older kids still in his house.

Over the years he and Jackie had had some frank discussions with their children about the perils of drugs, but this was the first time someone had brought it into their home and he had no idea what kind of discussions had taken place in the Senator's family. Glancing at his watch, he saw how late it was getting, so the first order of business was the call the SecNav before he showed up at the Yard to find Vance gone.

-NCIS-

Clayton Jarvis was having a good day overall. Despite the injury to McGee, the raids had gone even better than he'd hoped. The documentation was coming in fast and furious and he'd barely left his desk all day, keeping up on it. Warehouses filled with munitions, both small and large were now back in the custody of the United States Armed Forces. Several large cells of domestic terrorists were now in custody and the records McGee had salvaged before he was attacked had led teams of CID, DoD and FBI agents to all corners of the country to make even more arrests and round up what had already been sold.

He'd even managed to drop in on the cyberteam down in the basement at the Pentagon. Commander Brown was still smarting over the fact that a civilian had broken the case, and literally in a matter of hours. Brown had even had the audacity to complain that his team was stuck in the background, doing clean-up and yelling at him again had been a pleasure.

Tempting as it was, Jarvis knew better than to stop by the hospital tonight. Dr. Mallard had been quite direct about not allowing any visitors beyond family until tomorrow and tomorrow would be soon enough. Eventually, he'd be showing off the young man, but for now he'd let him rest and recover.

That reminded him of a job left undone and Jarvis called the activity director at the White House. He had plans for that young man and it was time he started rubbing elbows with the right people.

-NCIS-

Of all of his kids' friends, Leon knew the least about Nathan Stanley. Quiet and studious, he tended to blend into the woodwork when others were around. That was why it was such a surprise when Nathan spoke before Vance could say anything to him about what had happened.

"I know where Andy got the drugs."

Vance blinked and rubbed his mouth as he gave Nathan a careful look and put away his phone without calling Jarvis. If Nathan was also using, he hadn't brought anything into the house, that was a given. After seeing Jethro in action, there was no doubt in his mind that the dog would not have missed a second pack of drugs – assuming that it was a drug that the Navy had trained Jethro to find. He made a mental note to get a full run-down on the dog's training. "Nathan, if you're going to say anything that could cause you trouble, we should call your father first. He'd want to be here for this."

Nathan hesitated for a second, then shook his head. "I never bought anything from him but I saw some deals go down."

"At school?" Leon glanced at his own two children, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Yes, Sir."

"Someone is openly dealing on campus?"

"Well," Nathan shrugged and bit his lip. "Not really openly, but people tend to forget I'm there."

With one glance, Vance sent his children out of the room. "Okay, Nathan, start at the beginning."

-NCIS-

"Hey, Boss, how's he doing?" Tony kept his voice low in case McGee was asleep. Judging from the fact that McGee barely stirred, he'd been correct.

Gibbs stood and took a step closer to Tony and Ziva. "He'll be in pain for a while, but Ducky and the docs think he should be fine eventually."

They both edged closer to the bed. "Yeah, that's what Ducky kept telling us, but we just had to see for ourselves, you know?"

"He is sleeping, yes? Not unconscious?" Ziva reached out, but laid her hand on the bed instead of touching McGee.

Gibbs had no problem touching the sleeping man. He didn't awaken, but his head shifted enough that he was resting his cheek against Gibbs' hand. It was a struggle not to smile at the action, but Tony wasn't sure if Gibbs and Tim even realized how deeply they were connecting.

"Sleep is the best thing for him right now. If he's awake, he's dizzy and in a lot of pain."

It seemed strange that the dizziness got a specific mention, but Tony knew better than to ask right now. "Okay, when he wakes up, tell him we were here and we'll catch him later. We've got to get back to the Yard."

"How's the case progressing?"

That was Gibbs asking, but it seemed more like an expected question rather than one with a great deal of the usual Gibbs' intensity. However, Tony knew what he had to tell him would please Gibbs greatly. "Those computer files that McGee saved were a gold mine. FBI and the DoD are picking up splinter cells all over the country. Jarvis is ecstatic because everybody in the alphabet soup knows NCIS is the one that broke this wide open."

"We got 'em?"

Gibbs, DiNozzo and Ziva all turned to see Tim awake, his eyes barely open as he frowned. Gibbs didn't wait, he reached down and wrapped his fingers around both of Tim's arms. "Easy, you're not going to fall, I've got you."

Whatever that was about, it wasn't Tim's priority at the moment. "Case?"

Tony glanced at Gibbs before answering. "Computer files were saved. You got them, McGee."

"Weapons? Gibbs said some had already been sold."

"Gotta love it when the bad guys keep impeccable records. Right down to the last bullet, we'll be able to get them back and arrest everybody involved. Brace yourself, Probie, this is the kind of case that makes a career."

"Oh, joy."

-NCIS-

Clayton Jarvis was definitely having one of the best days of his career and smiled broadly when his assistant informed him that Vance was on the phone for him. "Leon, nothing's changed with Agent McGee's condition, right? He's still doing all right, isn't he? The Pentagon is absolutely buzzing about this raid and what your team has accomplished. I think everybody except for the Air Force is caught up in it."

Vance gave a short laugh, one that Clayton hadn't heard in a long time, bitter with a touch of near hysteria. "Leon?"

_We have a situation._

No, no, no, his day was not going to turn sour. "Situation?"

_We didn't want McGee's little girl to hear any of the scuttlebutt about the mission, not until he was able to have visitors, so Jackie picked her up and brought her to our home._

"Makes sense." He was waiting for the 'but' because these kind of things always have a 'but'.

_But McGee's dog was there, so Jackie had to bring him back with her, too._

Jarvis was thinking about all the possibilities. "Don't tell me he bit somebody."

_Might have been easier. He's a retired Navy drug detection dog and two of Jared's friends came home from school. Senator Stanley's son and Admiral Patterson's son._

Leon was right, a dog bite would have been easier. "Let me guess, one of them had drugs on him."

_You got it. Patterson's boy bought Ritalin from a dealer on campus. A dealer that is probably also selling Meth because there were trace amounts on the bag. That's what the dog picked up on._

"Ritalin?" Jarvis thought for a moment, he recognized the name, but it took a few seconds to place it. "That's a prescription drug for – hyperactive kids, right?"

_Basically. Other kids are buying and taking them so they can literally stay up for days studying. Our main concern was the dealer, especially considering the other drugs that were on the bags. We arranged a deal if Andrew would identify his dealer. I also talked to Nathan Stanley, who claims to have witnessed several drug transactions at school. Both interviews have identified the same suspect as the dealer._

"Then pick him up. Are you stretched too thin? Do you need more agents brought in for this?"

_Our suspect is Vincent McKay III – as in the grandson of Air Force General Vincent McKay._

"Well, shit."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, how's he doing?" Fornell held out a cup of coffee as an apparent peace offering. Gibbs accepted the drink but gave him a careful look as they moved to a quiet corner.

"It'll take a while, but he's going to be all right. What's going on?"

"Believe it or not, McGee's dog just busted a major drug ring at East Lake Prep Academy."

Gibbs came closer than he'd ever admit to dropping his coffee. Now the strange phone call from Vance made a little more sense. "Vance hand the case over to you guys?"

"Well," Fornell grinned as he scratched at the side of his face. "NCIS is running out of holding cells, so we're getting your leftovers. Never thought I'd see the day when my director was answering to yours."

That did make Gibbs spit out his coffee. "Damn, did you get pictures?"

"I'd like to keep my job, thank you very much."

Snorting, Gibbs wiped at his chin before trying to take another sip. "So, did Jethro catch anybody interesting?"

"Son of an admiral, and the grandson of a general."

"Shit." Wiping up coffee again, Gibbs gave up on his drink until the conversation was over. "Are you serious?"

Fornell was looking very amused as he handed over more napkins. "Yep. Andrew Patterson, son of Admiral Patterson – the Vice Chief of Naval Operations – was caught by McGee's mutt with illegally obtained Ritalin and it turned out that his dealer was none other than Nathan McKay III, son of Air Force Colonel Nathan McKay II, and grandson of Air Force General Nathan McKay – as in the Chief of Staff of the Air Force – as in..."

"Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shit." Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment as he thought it through. "Is there enough evidence?"

"The Patterson kid rolled on the McKay kid. Another witness ID'd Nathan McKay as a known dealer on campus."

"Reliable witness?"

"Senator Stanley's son."

Gibbs had to laugh. "It keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. That's where we came in. The Secretary of the Navy was concerned about appearances with the son of one of his highest ranking officers and the son of one of the Navy's strongest supporters on the Hill both fingering the grandson of the highest ranking member of the Air Force. We got warrants and found drugs in his locker and drugs in his car."

"Enough to prove that he's dealing and not just using?"

"Everything from the Ritalin he sold the Patterson kid to heroin. Still adding it up, but it looks like the street value is over a hundred thousand."

"Damn. Let me guess, he's going to roll on his suppliers?"

"Have to let you know on that one. I just stopped by to give you a heads up."

"Appreciate that, Tobias." Gibbs was thinking that now was a good time to see how many vacation days he still had left.

-NCIS-

McGee was being moved to a regular room. He was now stable enough that he didn't need to be in the ICU, so they were moving him directly to the step-down ward. Gibbs was following behind when he felt his phone vibrate. Considering the cases of the day, when they informed him that he wouldn't be able to ride up in the same elevator as McGee he used the opportunity to check the message. It was from Vance and pretty simple.

Call me in private ASAP

Taking the stairs for both the privacy and the exercise, he immediately called Vance back. "What's happened now?"

_Tia knows._

"Crap, how did that happen?"

_We had some excitement here today._

"Fornell told me, but what does that have to do with Tiana?"

_Admiral Patterson's driver heard the scuttlebutt, put it together and blurted it out. We've got her calmed down, but she's scared. Is he up to a short visit?_

Gibbs stopped climbing steps and leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted. "Yeah, they're moving him to a room right now. Give us about an hour, then bring her up."

-NCIS-

One of the nurses smiled at Gibbs as the medical staff withdrew from the room. Gibbs tried to return the smile but he wasn't sure how successful he'd been. Once they were alone, he bent over the bed and touched Tim's cheek. "Hey, how are you doing?"

Tim eyes fluttered open just a crack. "Nice to be in a bed instead of that over glorified cot. What time is it? Maggie's picking Tia up from pre-school, right? Wait, what was going on with Jethro? Did I dream that?"

That was as good of a place to start. "Nope, you didn't dream it. Maggie kept Tia home from pre-school so she wouldn't hear anything about the raid, then Jackie took her and Jethro to their place before the other kids arrived at Maggie's."

"Good, don't want her to hear about this until there's no choice."

"Which, unfortunately, was a few minutes ago."

That got the green eyes open. "What happened?"

Gibbs could see the pieces falling into place as he tried to explain. "One of Jared's friends had drugs on him."

"Vance called about Jethro's working commands? That really happened?"

"Yep, so there were a lot of people underfoot and..."

"Somebody spilled the beans. Damn it."

"Yeah. Vance and Jackie got her calmed down, but they're going to be bringing her by in a little bit so she can see for herself that you're going to be okay."

"Crap, how bad do I look?"

Luckily Gibbs was a man of few words because the first thought that crossed his mind wasn't what Tim would have wanted to hear. He took a deep breath and went with his second thought. "We've got time to get you cleaned up a little."

Ducky arrived with a nurse in tow. Gibbs had no idea what their plan had been but a quiet word got Operation Tiana in full swing. The bed was raised a few degrees before the nurse got busy washing the blood and the betadine stains from Tim's skin. As soon as the dizziness eased a little, the bed went up a few more degrees. They stopped at a forty-five degree angle, but that was enough to give the impression of 'sitting up' for his daughter's arrival. Gibbs gently brushed Tim's hair down onto his face, covering some stitches along the hairline.

Thirty minutes after Vance's call, a man in a white lab coat walked in and Ducky made the introductions. "Jethro, I'm glad we can discuss this before Tiana arrives. Timothy, this is the neurologist that's been reviewing your case, Dr. Winters."

The doctor shook hands with both men. "Mr. McGee, it's good to see you awake. How is the dizziness?" He pulled out a pen light and started a quick exam as he waited for the answer.

"I wouldn't want to stand up right now, but at least I'm not feeling like I'm going to fall out of the bed without moving."

Exam over, Dr. Winters leaned on the bed rail. "Yes, Dr. Mallard mentioned how bad it was and I was able to confer with the doctor you saw in Boston while you were in college, along with several of my colleagues that have studied patients with previous bouts of vestibular neuritis. While you will be more prone to a re-occurrence of the symptoms, we don't think you're at any higher risk for another full attack of vestibular neuritis."

"That's good, right?" Gibbs looked at Winters, then Ducky.

"Absolutely." Getting comfortable, Winters snagged a chair and dragged it over to sit down. "One of my colleagues up in Seattle had a suggestion that I'd like to put out there for you. He was in charge of a group study last year on possible treatments for vestibular neuritis. The results have been mixed, but with no significant side effects, it might be worth a try in your case to help minimize any possible flare-up."

"Really?" That got McGee's attention. "What is it?"

Gibbs was a little more cautious. "Ducky, what do you know about this?"

Ducky nodded in approval as Dr. Winters explained. "It's a drug called meclizine. It's been used for years for treatment of dizziness and nausea caused from other inner ear conditions."

"And Timothy," Ducky finally spoke up, looking very enthused. "I suspect that if it helps with your dizziness now, you might find it much more effective than the anti-nausea pills you currently take when you're on board a ship."

"You said no significant side effects, but what could they be?" Gibbs was encouraged, but cautious.

"Dry mouth, slight headache, possible nausea. If any of that becomes a problem, we'll just stop the meclizine."

"Okay, let's try it. Can I start before my little girl arrives?"

Winters nodded to a nurse, who stepped out and returned a moment later with a pill cup. "Absolutely."

-NCIS-

Arriving at the hospital parking lot just past sunset, Vance shut off the engine and turned to look at his passenger in the back seat. "Okay, remember, Daddy is going to have lots of cuts and bruises, but he's going to be all right. They've probably also given him some medicine that will make him sleepy, so don't be scared if he falls asleep."

Tiana gave him a wide-eyed nod, but didn't say anything. When Vance lifted her out of the car, she clung to him, so he carried her into the hospital. There was a line at the information desk but Gibbs had sent the room number to him so Vance went straight to the elevators. When they arrived at the correct floor, a nurse looked up from the chart she was updating.

"Is this Tiana?"

Vance was surprised at the recognition but before he could answer, Tia bobbed her head and wiggled to get down. "Are you my daddy's nurse?"

"I'm one of them and he told me that you were coming to see him." She waited until Vance sent Tiana on the floor, then bent down to be eye to eye with the little girl. "I know you're very excited to see your daddy and he really wants to see you, but we have some rules, okay?"

Thumb in mouth, she nodded so hard her topknot bounced. The nurse took one of her hands while Vance held the other and quietly explained about how she needed to be careful and gentle with her daddy and how they needed to not make any loud noises. The list of rules was finished as they arrived at the door to McGee's room and the nurse bent down again. "All right, you ready to go in quietly and see Daddy?"

Another nod but this time the brown eyes were brimming with tears and the nurse gave her a hug. "Oh, Sweetheart, he's going to be all right, we just have to be very gentle with him while he heals. Okay?"

"Okay."

Not being able to ask in front of Tiana, Vance didn't know what to expect when the door was open and he split his attention between Tia and the figure on the bed. Wraps and braces showed the damage to his arms, while his face was bruised. Vance suspected that the hair coming down onto his forehead and the side of his head covered the worst of the bruises. Anything else, and he knew there was more, wasn't visible.

"Daddy?"

At the frightened and wobbly voice, Tim's eyes popped open. "Hey, Sweetpea."

-NCIS-

"Shh, just rest until she gets here." If the gentle words didn't lull him to sleep, the tender hand stroking above his eyebrows would. Between that and the various meds, he knew that staying awake was going to be a lost cause.

"Don't let me sleep through her visit."

"I won't, I promise."

With that, Tim let himself drift off, feeling secure in a way he couldn't yet describe.

A hand touching his arm gave just a moment's notice before -

"Daddy?"

The fear in her voice hurt almost more than the fall had. "Hey, Sweetpea." Tim smiled at her and watched her lower lip tremble. "Come here, Baby."

She moved closer to the bed, then stopped. "I don't want to hurt you."

Tim wanted to tell her that she wouldn't, but she was on his more damaged side. "Jethro?" It was barely a whisper, but it got him the results he wanted as Gibbs moved around the bed to where Tia was. "Come here, Sweetie, I've got you."

Jethro scooped her up and carried her back to Tim's less injured side and carefully laid her down on the bed, helping her cuddle close without causing any problems. The tears finally came and Tim was able to hold on and ride it out with her. "I'm okay, Tia, I'm going to be fine and tomorrow we'll all be home together."

Ducky had been quietly watching from the corner until now. "Timothy -"

"I'm going home first thing in the morning, Ducky." He gave his most determined stare until finally Ducky nodded.

"I will inform your doctors, but I can't guarantee they will be very happy about this." Ducky glanced down at Tia and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. "But I will tell them that I'll be staying with you for the first day or two to monitor your progress. That might help."

"Thanks, Ducky."


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n - One more chapter after this and that should go up tomorrow. Then things pick up again in The Admiral. **

* * *

"Jethro, I'm sorry but they don't let dogs into the hospital." Jackie sighed as the mournful brown eyes stared up at her. "I don't make the rules."

"Mom, you're apologizing to a dog."

"I know, Jared, I know." Jackie found herself rubbing Jethro's ears and stroking his head. He'd been perfectly behaved after discovering the drugs and then after Tiana accidentally found out about her father, but now he was moping and pacing in front of the door. She tugged on his collar. "Come on, Jethro, let's eat."

The neighbor down the street raised some sort of little dogs and showed them at dog shows all over the country. Jackie didn't know what kind of dogs they were, but they were yappy and seemed to take a great deal of work to train. Nevertheless, the neighbor had brought over some dog food when she'd asked and gave an approving nod when Jethro responded to his commands.

"Here you go, boy." She set a plate down on the floor, filled with the food from the neighbor, along with a few chunks of meat from dinner. He was as neat with the food as he'd been with the spoonful of peanut butter earlier and the fact that he had shifted around so that he could both eat and see the front door made Jackie smile again. "They'll be home soon, Jethro."

"Woof."

While Jethro ate, the kids moved closer to Jackie. "Is Agent McGee really going to be all right, Mom?"

"Your father seemed to think so, and I don't think Agent Gibbs would have agreed to let Tia visit her father if he were too badly hurt."

"She's going to stay with us while he's in the hospital though, right?"

"We're making the offer, but the final decision, of course, is up to her father."

A car pulling into the driveway interrupted the discussion. "Are Daddy and Tiana home already?"

"That didn't sound like his car." Jackie walked closer to the front door, only to find Jethro abandoning his dinner and trotting to the door. She watched him closely and when their unexpected guest got about half way to the door, he started to growl. Instead of stepping closer to the door, Jackie let Jethro go to the door and she moved to the side where she could see out the window. The man standing there was someone she didn't recognize, but he was in an Air Force uniform. She didn't know all the insignia for the Air Force, but from his age, she was guessing that this was the father of the drug dealer Leon's agents had arrested this afternoon. Judging from his gait he was at least a little drunk and when he started yelling and banging on the door she didn't hesitate, just grabbed the phone and called dispatch.

At the first sign of aggression from the Colonel, Jethro went into full protective mode, front feet up on the door and barking aggressively, his teeth actually scraping the glass. Whether it was fear of the dog or not, their unwanted visitor made no attempt to get inside the house and was actually backing away from the front door when agents and local LEO's pulled into the driveway.

Brian Hill, her husband's usual security was one of the agents and immediately put the Air Force Colonel into handcuffs and handed him over to another agent and a uniformed officer before approaching the door. Jackie saw that the situation was handled and turned her attention to the dog. "Jethro, stand down."

Just like earlier when the situation was handled and the command was given, it was like a switch and Jethro trotted over to sit next to Jackie with what looked like the canine version of a very satisfied expression on his face. She laughed and reached down to pet him. "Jethro, if you had a brother, we'd be getting a dog."

"Woof."

Agent Hill came up onto the front porch and Jethro was instantly attentive, but not aggressive and Jackie petted him again. "It's all right, Jethro. He's one of ours."

Hill was cautious coming through the door, holding his badge down for Jethro to sniff just like Vance had done when Jethro had the backpack earlier. Satisfied, Jethro let out another woof and rolled onto his back, demanding a belly rub. Brian obliged before climbing back onto his feet.

"You'd never know he's the same dog, would you? Guess he's earned another spoonful of peanut butter."

"He most certainly has." Jackie turned back to look at her children, watching from the kitchen. "Jared, would you get Jethro his reward."

"Sure, Mom."

Once that was taken care of, Jackie looked out the window at the sedan and the prisoner. "What happens now?"

"We'll hand him over to the FBI. They can sit on him until he sobers up. I'll let the Director know what's up and he can take it from there. Is he at the hospital or back aboard the Yard?"

"He took Tiana to see her father. Tell him we're fine and not to worry about us."

"And bring more peanut butter?"

That made Jackie laugh. "Might not be a bad idea."

-NCIS-

Gibbs hated that McGee was hurt, hated it with every fiber of his being, but sitting next to the bed, one hand on Tim, one hand on Tiana, he felt a contentment that was rare in his life. He didn't even stir when Vance took a call and stepped out of the room. Eventually he did look up at Ducky. "Will leaving the hospital early put him in any danger?"

Ducky didn't answer right away, but eventually shook his head. "By morning, most of the risk will be over. As long as Timothy is careful, the internal injuries should continue to heal. If he were to stay in the hospital, it would be easier to monitor his recovery and to control his pain, but being home with his family certainly has its own perks."

Gibbs glanced down at the little girl sleeping cuddled up against Tim. "Yeah, it does."

Vance slipped back into the room a moment later and Gibbs recognized that look on his face. Not wanting to, he stood and joined Vance in the far corner of the room, keeping his voice low. "What?"

"Well, Jethro is certainly earning his treats today."

Not even wanting to guess what the dog had done now, Gibbs just gave him the look and waited for Vance to tell him the rest.

"Had an unwanted visitor at the house and he kept him from getting anywhere near Jackie and the kids."

"A lot of excitement at your place today. Did it have anything to do with the weapons case?"

"Nope, the drug case. Apparently dad was pissed that we busted his kid. Showed up drunk and belligerent. Jethro scared him enough that he backed off and Jackie called to have him picked up."

They'd had a lot of suspects that day, but Gibbs remembered what Fornell had told him. "Father of the drug dealer, that would be a colonel, right? Guess at some point the general will come into play."

"Don't remind me."

Gibbs had to grin at the expression on Vance's face. "This would be why I'd rather get shot at than deal with the administrative side of things."

"You just might be the smart one."

There was no good way to answer that one so Gibbs just let his grin grow a little wider. "Now what?"

"I've got a security team at my house, one at McGee's place and I'm going to station a few men here at the hospital."

"That's a lot of man hours."

Vance finally let a grin break through of his own. "Damn right, and I'm going to bill it to the Air Force."

Gibbs was pretty sure that wasn't quite how it worked, but he wasn't going to argue.

Both men watched Tiana for a few minutes before Vance checked the time. "The nurses are going to chase us out in pretty soon. Jackie and I planned on having Tiana stay with us until McGee's home, but if any of this makes him uncomfortable..."

The final decision was Tim's, so they moved closer to find that he was awake and had been quietly listening to them. "I know you'll keep her safe, but are you all right with Jethro staying there too?"

Vance chuckled and shook his head. "Tim, I think having Jethro there today has convinced Jackie that we need to get a dog of our own. He and Tiana are welcome to stay as long as you need."

"Thank you." Tim shifted enough to kiss Tia's forehead, waking her up. "Hey, Sleepyhead."

"Daddy?"

"You and Jethro are going to spend the night with Uncle Leon and Aunt Jackie, okay?"

"But I want to stay with you."

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but that's against the rules. I'll be home tomorrow, though."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He pulled her close for another kiss. "Even if I have to sneak out the window, I'll be home tomorrow."

Gibbs picked her up and also kissed her forehead before handing her over to Vance. "Don't worry, I'll be right here with Daddy."

She watched them as Vance carried her to the door, her eyes filling with tears as she gave a sad little wave when they walked out the door. "Bye, Daddy."

-NCIS-

"Bye, Daddy."

For a second she sounded like Kelly when he was getting ready to deploy. Looking over at Tim he saw the expression on his face after the door closed. "You okay?"

"I think that hurt worse than falling off the building."

Gibbs reached over and squeezed his hand. "Yeah, I know."


	11. Chapter 11

"Good morning, Jethro."

Straightening up, Gibbs rubbed at his face before glancing at the time. "Didn't expect you quite yet, Duck."

"Yes, well, I had to be here early if I were to arrive before our young man made a break for it." Ducky held up both Gibbs' and McGee's go bags. "I believe we have a much better chance at pulling this off if the two of you don't look like the living dead."

Taking the hint, Gibbs slipped into the bathroom with his bag and a few seconds later the water turned on. Satisfied that one of them was taken care of, Ducky turned his attention to McGee.

"Morning, Ducky." Tim shifted on the bed, trying to sit up, but Ducky grabbed the controls.

"Heavens, Lad, if you're going to convince anyone you're up to going home, use the tools you have available." He watched carefully as the bed raised up. Tim closed his eyes, but only for a moment. "How is your dizziness this morning? And I want an honest answer, young man."

"It's better, a lot better. Not totally gone, but it's a fraction of what I was feeling yesterday. After I'm back on my feet, I'm looking forward to trying those pills the next time I need to be on a ship."

Ducky wasn't completely convinced, but he waited until Gibbs was out of the bathroom and looking better – freshly shaved and no longer wearing the clothes he'd slept in. "All right, let's see how stable you are on your feet."

-NCIS-

Tim ached all over. His shoulder throbbed and he dreaded the idea of ever moving again. It was only the promise to his little girl that kept him motivated. When Ducky wanted him upright, there was only one possible answer to give.

"All right."

Looking to Gibbs for support, both physical and emotional, Tim took a deep breath and started to work his legs off the bed. It took a few minutes, but when that happened he found his first problem. His muscles were too sore to just sit up the rest of the way and his arms were too badly hurt to grab the bed rails for help.

Gibbs didn't need to be asked. As soon as Tim's progress stalled, he wrapped a strong arm around the injured man and lifted him up the rest of the way. Once Tim was sitting upright, feet on the floor, and nothing behind him, both Gibbs and Ducky watched him carefully.

"How do you feel, Lad?"

Tim thought for a moment before he answered Ducky. "Sore, a little light-headed, but not the dizziness like I had yesterday."

"All right, let's get you up on your feet."

Carefully and slowly, Tim shuffled his body forward until just his butt was on the bed. He wasn't sure how successful the next step was going to be, but Gibbs carefully lifted, giving him just enough support to get up onto his feet. Nausea rolled through his stomach, but Tim breathed through it, willing his stomach to settle and a few moments later, it did.

Determined to prove he was ready to go home, he moved one foot forward, then the other. With Gibbs' arm around him he felt more confident and had made it to the end of the bed by the time his doctor walked in. Making sure he was balanced enough to stand there on his own, Tim looked Dr. Winters in the eye. "I'm ready to go home."

Winters crossed his arms and stared at him. "How are your pain levels?"

"Tolerable."

"Uh huh." Dr. Winters didn't look convinced and Tim tried to straighten up even more. Winters just looked at the IV line that connected his arm to a machine. "And what happens when we remove your pain meds? I can't exactly send you home with a morphine pump."

"I'll manage."

"Let's get a fresh round of tests, then we'll talk about it."

Returning to bed would require turning around but before Tim could decide if it was worth the effort, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair. Once he was seated, the wheels on the morphine pump stand were unlocked and he was on his way for another scan.

-NCIS-

Vance was awake long before the sun rose, as was Jackie, and they both clung to opposite ends of the bed while Tia and Jethro took up the majority of the available space. "We should have rethought this a little more."

"And done it differently, how?" Jackie shifted slightly, rolling more onto her stomach and Vance realized that she could now have one foot on the floor for support. She managed to gain back about a half of an inch of bed space in the process. "Of course we were going to bring Tia in with us when she had a nightmare and after everything he did yesterday, we certainly weren't going to keep Jethro away from her."

Vance contemplated mirroring Jackie's new position on the bed, but he didn't even have enough space to make the attempt. "Jethro, stop hogging the bed." From the other side of the bed Jackie started giggling and he raised his head up enough to see over the furry head. "What?"

"I bet that's something you never thought you'd say."

It took a minute for him to connect the dots, then he just groaned. "Funny, Jackie, very funny."

"Well, I thought it was."

Vance knew without a doubt that if he gave an actual command, Jethro would immediately retreat to the floor, but looking at Tiana's little fingers clinging to the dog's fur, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Oh, well, it was almost time to put the coffee on so with a not so graceful roll he was off the bed. Jackie didn't laugh at his landing on the floor and for that she earned breakfast in bed.

-NCIS-

Dr. Winters sighed as he looked over the test results with Dr. Mallard leaning over his shoulder. He'd almost hoped to find some medical reason to keep his patient another day or two but the internal injuries were healing and there was no signs of complications from the head injury. Even the dizziness seemed to be reasonably controlled with the medication. "Another twenty-four hours with IV pain management would allow him to rest and heal much easier."

"True." Dr. Mallard smiled and shook his head as if it were the most obvious thing. "However, I guarantee you that your argument will fall on deaf ears. Draw up the paperwork to show him leaving the hospital against medical advice if it makes you more comfortable, but I assure you that nothing short of needing emergency surgery will keep Timothy away from his little one another day."

"You will be watching him?" It had already been said, but he wanted to verify just how much help his patient would be receiving once he left the hospital.

Dr. Mallard didn't seem insulted by the questioning. "Yes, I already have a packed bag with me. I will be staying at McGee's home for the first few days at least, longer if I feel it's needed. Agent Gibbs will be with him also and other members of the team will be rotating through to provide additional assistance."

Winters recognized a losing battle. "All right, I don't like it but I'll have the paperwork ready within the hour."

-NCIS-

Vance hadn't done this in years, the shocked look on the kids' faces a stark reminder of that as he pulled the bed tray out of the bottom of the drawer. "You guys want to help me?"

"Sure."

"I'll get the orange juice."

While Jared had his head in the refrigerator, Leon eyed the size of the plates and the size of the tray. The last time he'd done this with everyone, the kids had been eating off of little plates. "Kayla, see if you can find another tray. I don't think I can fit five plates on that tray."

"Six, Dad." Kayla was grinning when her father turned around. "Jethro gets breakfast, too, right?"

Some things aren't worth arguing about. "Sure, Honey." Thinking for a moment, he decided that a few pancakes with peanut butter on them would work for the dog because he absolutely was not sharing his sausage.

-NCIS-

"What?"

Tim sighed again and leaned forward enough to rest his forehead on Gibbs' shoulder. They were taking their time and they were a long way from this point, but still... "I figured that the first time you had your hands on my body I'd be enjoying it a little bit more." He could hear the smile in Jethro's voice.

"We'll get there when the time is right. For now, let's just get your pants on before some nurse comes in to ogle your butt."

"Very funny." But Tim did take a deep breath and lift up enough for his pants to be pulled up the rest of the way. Once that was done he didn't argue at all when Jethro finished dressing him. He just concentrated on breathing now that the morphine drip was gone. He'd have to wait almost an hour before they'd even discuss new pain medications.

Ducky came in as Gibbs was tying Tim's shoes. "Oh, good, you're dressed. Dr. Winters is coming in with the head of Neurology to have a look at you." The 'and try to talk you out of this nonsense' was unspoken but very clear so Tim sat up straight and put a smile on his face when the door opened again a few minutes later.

Tim was patient, putting up with the lights in his eyes and the poking and prodding, but when the two doctors starting discussing repeating the tests they had already done that morning, he put his foot down.

"No, I'm done. I'm going home to be with my little girl. If something goes wrong, Dr. Mallard will be there with me. You've got ten minutes to bring me the paperwork or I'll just walk out of here anyway."

"What if we..."

"No."

The two doctors stared at each other while Ducky and Gibbs looked so amused that Tim just had to grin at them. Finally Dr. Winters held his hand out and a nurse handed him a stack of folded papers, winking at McGee as she did.

-NCIS-

"Time to wake up, sleepyheads." It had ended up taking three trays to carry six plates, five sets of silverware, two coffees and three glasses of milk, but they'd managed. Tiana was smiling at the sight, so it was all worth it. Jethro needed out and just to be safe, Jackie took Tia to the bathroom at the same time, but ten minutes later they were all sitting on the bed – if they had two legs – or on the floor if they had four, as plates of food were passed around.

Jethro gobbled up his peanut butter coated pancakes, licking up every crumb from the plate as Jackie deliberately didn't watch. Once the plate was spotless, he turned his attention to the sausage and eggs he could smell on the other plates. The kids had eaten quickly, but Leon and Jackie were taking their time.

Jackie was looking very amused so Leon followed her line of sight to find Jethro staring soulfully at the last link of sausage on his plate. "Nope, that's mine."

A doggie whine and wiggle brought the canine a little closer.

"You got peanut butter and pancakes, Dog. Most mutts out there just get kibble, so consider yourself lucky. Besides, I don't think dogs should eat pork."

"Actually, that's turkey sausage."

"What?"

"Unless you snuck out and bought it this morning, the sausage in the refrigerator is turkey sausage. I haven't bought pork sausage in years. You don't need the extra fat any more than Jethro does." The kids giggled at Jackie's words while Leon stared at her.

"Years?"

"Since before we left California."

Sighing, Leon broke off a little piece. "Here you go, Jethro."

-NCIS-

Ducky watched carefully as Gibbs tenderly helped Tim up the one step and onto the front porch. Seeing that his old friend had the situation well in hand, Ducky unlocked the door and quickly reviewed their options. Granted, Timothy's house was only one story, but he was very stiff and sore. At the hospital he had the benefit of the electric bed to help him sit up and lay back down. The only thing here that was even remotely similar was – "Timothy, why don't you stretch out on the recliner? That might be a bit easier than trying to get in and out of your bed at the moment."

"Sounds good, Ducky." Tim gave a tired nod and, with help, changed his angle so that he was moving toward the recliner instead of the hallway.

Tim's voice was breathless and there was a sheen of perspiration across his forehead, which had Ducky second guessing his decision to support Tim's leaving the hospital so early. "Let's get him settled, Jethro, then I want to check him over again."

As soon as they had him eased into the chair, Tim waved off Ducky's concern. "I'm okay. When are the Vance's bringing Tiana home?"

Ducky glanced down at his watch. "We have almost two hours. Plenty of time for an exam and another pain pill. Then you can rest for a little while." That got a nod and Ducky started checking while Gibbs went into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Well?"

Gibbs' not quite casual question made Ducky smile. "No damage, but it is imperative that Timothy rest for the next few hours."

Tim's eyes were already closed, but he wasn't asleep yet. "Just make sure I'm awake before Tia comes home."

"I promise. Just rest until then, I've got you."

The tenderness was something that Ducky rarely saw in Gibbs, even though he knew the man was capable. At the same time it made him feel somewhat like a voyeur. "Let Jethro take care of you, Lad. I'll be in the kitchen, taking stock, if you need me."

The open floor plan didn't give a lot of privacy but Ducky did his best to stay unobtrusive. Not that either of them would have noticed. Tim dropped off to sleep rather quickly when the new round of pain pills took effect and it was obvious that Gibbs' entire attention was on the sleeping man.

-NCIS-

"How is this possible? The plan was foolproof, it worked for over a year."

"I'm sorry, Sir. The military never figured it out while I was at the Pentagon."

"Then how?"

"It was an agent at NCIS. He led a group of cyber-techs that found our worm. They found everything." Hands shaking, he held out the thin file on Special Agent Timothy McGee.

"This is everything?"

"Yes, it is all I could find. He's very careful."

"This McGee cost me a billion dollars."

"Yes, Sir."

"And you didn't stop him."

"I'm sorry, Sir. I made a mistake."

"Your last mistake."

"Yes, Sir." Seeing the gun, he closed his eyes and waited for the end. He didn't have to wait long.

-NCIS-

"All right, Sweetie, you remember that you need to be really gentle with Daddy?"

"Uh huh." The thumb had made a reappearance in her mouth, but under the circumstances, Vance could understand. Jackie had finished bucking her car seat and he had Jethro settled next to her so they closed both back doors and climbed into the front of Vance's SUV.

Jackie gave him a look and Leon just nodded in return. They were both worried that it was too soon for Tia to go home, but at the same time they understood Tim's need to have his little girl with him. They'd just watch closely and be ready to offer to keep either Tia or Jethro – or both – for a few more nights.

At the house, Jackie took Tia's hand while Leon handled the leash. They were met at the door by Ducky, who bent down to hug his granddaughter. "Hello, my darling. Are you ready to help take care of Daddy?"

"Just like I did with Papa?"

"Absolutely." Holding her hand, Ducky walked her over to the recliner as Vance took the leash off of Jethro. The dog trotted over with them, sniffed at McGee, then laid down next to the recliner, his chin resting on the human Jethro's foot.

"Daddy?"

Tim lifted his left arm as best he could. "Come here, Baby."

Just like before, Gibbs helped her up where she could cuddle with her father. Vance had to smile at the way she clung to him, instantly settling down. She was tired after a restless night and he suspected she'd fall asleep right there.

Not wanting to intrude, Vance stepped back. Jackie joined him near the front door and they watched the family for a moment. Jackie leaned close so Vance tilted his head toward her to better hear her whispered question.

"Leon, are Tim and Agent Gibbs -"

"I don't officially know, and since I'd be required to separate them once I do, I won't absolutely officially know until I have no other choice."

It took a moment for Jackie to follow the convoluted statement, but eventually she smiled and kissed him. "You old softie."

He returned the kiss. "Let's keep that our little secret."

After getting a nod from Gibbs filled with more gratitude than he'd ever seen on the man's face, they slipped out the door.

-NCIS-

_I don't officially know, and since I'd be required to separate them once I do, I won't absolutely officially know until I have no other choice._ Hearing the soft words eased a fear Gibbs had been refusing to acknowledge.

Once they left he turned his full attention to the two dozing figures on the recliner. This was his family, this was his future – one he never thought he'd find again. He'd buried his heart when he'd buried Shannon and Kelly, but somehow Tim had managed to work it back up to the surface over the years. Enough that Tim and Tiana were able to easily lift it up out of the ashes of his former life.

Could he step past the years of being a loner, of cutting himself off from people that wanted him to open up? For the first time in many years, he wanted to try.

Tiana was wedged in between her father's left side and the arm of the recliner, but there was space on the other side. It was cramped as he eased himself in, and he had to be very careful of Tim's injured arm and shoulder, but he knew that he was finally home and ready for the journey they called life.

* * *

a/n - This is it, the final chapter of Humpty Dumpty. Thank you all for the wonderful comments. Next up is _The Admiral_. Can the two very different men find some common ground? Here's a sneak peek -

Parking, Admiral McGee locked the car and carefully placed his cover on his head before tugging his sleeves into place and walking up the step. Once up on the porch he removed his cover, securing it under his arm before he rang the bell and stood at perfect attention.

A barking dog was the first sign of anyone home, a big dog by the deepness of the bark and John felt an eyebrow raise up ever so slightly. _Timothy has a dog?_ The thought that he had been given an incorrect address crossed his mind before he heard a familiar voice telling 'Jethro' to hush. The dog instantly silenced, showing he was well trained, another surprise.

The door opened and he was face to face with the son he hadn't seen in over seven years.


End file.
